Known as the pilot city of the Two Mountains theory – which states that lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets – Lishui in East China's Zhejiang province has been striving to tap a new way to achieve sustainable and high-quality green development.

Lishui is building a modern ecological economic system in an all-round way, and has made some attempts to accelerate high-quality green development. The city has become the first pilot city in China to realize the value of ecological products.

This year marks the final year of the country's 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-20) and also the 15th year since the Two Mountains theory was brought up. Currently, Lishui is in a critical period of promoting economic and social development in the post-pandemic period, and fighting against the clock to complete its annual targets.

The pilot construction provides a strategic opportunity for Lishui to expand more channels to realize the value of ecological products and to speed up high-quality green development.

Lishui-based Benefit Pharmaceutical Co Ltd mainly produces traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) formula granules and TCM slices. The company not only purchases TCM materials from other parts of the country, but also makes full use of the abundant herbal resources in Lishui.

A staff member of Benefit Pharmaceutical packs TCM granules. [Photo by Xiao Da/chinadaily.com.cn]

The company has helped many local TCM farmers increase their income and contributed to the coordinated growth and conversion efficiency of GDP and GEP (gross ecosystem product).

The city launched the first "Two Mountains" financial service station for the transformation of good ecological resources into ecological value in Jingning She autonomous county on May 14, which was an innovative measure that Lishui uses to promote GDP and GEP conversion.

According to the Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lishui's GEP increased from 467.29 billion yuan ($66.06 billion) in 2017 to 502.45 billion yuan in 2018, registering an increase of 5.12 percent at comparable prices, and the GEP and GDP conversion rate was 29.15 percent.

The conversion rate is forecast to be 35 percent by 2019, and the pilot target of 40 percent is expected to be accomplished this year.